Mario Rui: I'll try to get up to speed as soon as possible

The Giallorossi beat Sampdoria 4-0 at the Stadio Olimpico to reach the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia - as the Portuguese played 70 minutes in the victory.

The full-back joined Roma from Empoli in the summer but saw his start to life at the club derailed by a knee injury.

Let's talk about your debut – you've finally played your first match for Roma.

“Injuries are part and parcel of the game. I'm happy with how I played today. I definitely could have done a bit more but at this moment in time I'm satisfied with the way things are. I'm grateful to the coach for his praise today – it's really good to hear. It wasn't easy to go out there and play after all this time on the sidelines.”

What did you make of Roma's performance?

“I think the result speaks for itself. We were up against tough opposition and we killed the game off at the right time.”

How did you find playing with a three-man defence? Do you prefer playing with four at the back?

“I've played three-man before although recently I've spent more time playing in four-man backlines. I don't have any real problem with it. I try to adjust as quickly as possible and I'll try to up my game as soon as possible. I'm only at 40 or 50% at the moment.”

Perhaps it was destiny that you should make your debut against Marco Giampaolo after enjoying a fantastic season under him at Empoli last time out...

“We had a great relationship. He's a wonderful person and he gave me so much as a coach too. My last game was playing for him and now I make my Roma debut against him. It was really nice to see him again.”